The new feature lets users search its catalogue of animated GIFs using terms such as "head banging desk" and then easily share them. It has also released a video sharing tool for direct messages.

The library, which is searchable by keywords, categories or reactions, will be available around the world on iOS, Android and online over the coming weeks.

The GIF button sits within the keyboard and links to a library of GIFs. It's similar to the GIF keyboards recently added to Facebook and Tinder, and offers users anything from "the perfect cat yawn" to "mic drop."

The popularity of GIFs on the social network is unrivaled. Twitter claims that people shared over 100 million GIFs in tweets and direct messages in 2015.

"So much can be expressed with GIFs, and the key is to find just the right one in the moment that quickly and efficiently expresses your emotions," said David McIntosh, chief executive and co-founder of Riffsy, which is working with Twitter.

Twitter teamed up with both Riffsy and Giphy to create the catalogue.

"Giphy's users are creating GIFs for news, entertainment, sports, and expression that can enrich tweets," said Alexa Chung, founder and chief executive of Giphy. "We're excited to work with Twitter to make sharing these GIFs even easier."

The news of the announcement comes after select users reported seeing the new button over the last few weeks. Twitter has been testing the feature on its mobile app.

The positive reactions to the GIF button offer a ray of hope for the 140-character social network, which has had an embattled year. Its shares nosedived by 13 per cent and user growth practically stalled in the final quarter of 2015.

In an attempt to grow its users, Twitter has released a number of updates over the past 12 months, which have mostly been greeted with disdain. Moments, a new service that packages hand-picked tweets about a certain news event or story, has been fairly popular.

But Jack Dorsey's rethink of the key pillars of the service - notably its 140-character limit and chronological timeline - has not been so popular. The announcements that the 140-character limit would be increased to 10,000 and that it would introduce an algorithmic news feed were met with such an outcry that they prompted an #RIPTwitter campaign.

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